Baie de Gaspé et vue vers le centre-ville de Gaspé, Gaspésie, Québec - panoramio (1)

GaspéQuebec

TownGrade

#890 of 2,556

It is part of La Côte-de-Gaspé, a census division. In Quebec, this town has 15,479 residents.

Photo: busand2003 · CC BY 3.0

Population

15,479

people, 2025 estimate

Median age

50.4

years · Quebec’s towns: 44.8

Postsecondary

56%

of residents 15 and over hold a postsecondary certificate, diploma or degree · Canadian towns: 56%

Walk, cycle, transit

walk, cycle or take transit to work · Canadian towns: 8%

Is Gaspé a good place to live?

Gaspé’s strongest subject is cost of living (A−). The drawback is hazard risk (C). All told, that adds up to a B overall and a rank of #280 of 499 in Quebec. Nationally, it does better than 64% of Canadian towns. Its remaining grades are unremarkable: B for safety, C+ for health, B− for jobs & income and C+ for walkability.

Safety is the Sûreté du Québec unit's figure for the whole MRC. No School Grade: this province doesn't publish comparable results school by school. Health is graded on the health region's survey figures and life expectancy, with the distance to hospital giving the town its own spread.

StrongestA⁻Cost of living

How Gaspé grades

Each subject compares Gaspé with Canadian towns of 2,500 or more, ordered by how far it is from the middle. Towns in other countries are graded separately.

How grading works

Cost of livingGraded on home prices against local incomesA⁻Open →Hazard riskMore exposed to natural hazards than mostCOpen →HealthClose to the middle of the towns comparedC⁺Open →SafetyBased on crimes reported per residentBOpen →WalkabilityGraded on how easily people get around without a carC⁺Open →Jobs & incomeGraded on incomes, poverty and employmentB⁻Open →

SchoolsNo schools grade in Quebec: the ministry publishes its success rates by school service centre, not school by school.–

How TownRatings grades Canadian towns →

What makes Gaspé stand out

The 3 things Gaspé does most differently from other towns.

Picked automatically from the data

Immigrants

Who lives here

2% are immigrants

Compare 6% for the median of Canadian towns

Statistics Canada, Census 2021

Home value ÷ household income

Housing

2.8 times household income

The middle of Canadian towns: 4.7 times

Median owner’s estimate $200,000, Census 2021; income for 2020.

Residents 65 and over

Who lives here

26% are 65 or over

Where the typical figure for Canadian towns is 19%

Statistics Canada, Census 2021

The data

Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Gaspé.

HousingCost of living A⁻

Renting in Gaspé costs 15% of household income, less than in both Quebec’s towns and Canadian towns

$200,000median home value, 2021A⁻Cost of living Grade

Nearly one in ten households spent 30% or more of their income on shelter, below Quebec’s towns (13%) and Canadian towns (18%) alike. The owner-occupied share of households is 72%.

What homes were worth · The median owner’s estimate at the 2021 census

Gaspé$200,000

Quebec$300,000

Canadian towns$406,000

Census 2021	Gaspé	Quebec	Canada
Households spending 30%+ on shelter	9%	13%	18%
Rent as a share of income	15%	18%	20%

$918

monthly rent for a two-bedroom

$715

median monthly shelter cost for owners, 2021

Full pageGaspé’s cost of living pageOpen the full Cost of living page

Renting$918 a month · A two-bedroom apartment, CMHC’s survey Cost of living2.8 times household income · The median owner’s estimate, $200,000, against the median household income Owners and renters72% own their home

Statistics Canada, Census 2021; CMHC Rental Market Survey via Statistics Canada · Home values are owners’ own estimates at the May 2021 census, and incomes are for 2020.

Climate

Summers stay cool in Gaspé: July afternoons reach 23.5°C, below Quebec’s towns and Canadian towns

23.5°CJuly afternoons

In January the thermometer sinks to −16.7°C overnight, below Quebec’s towns (−14.7°C) and Canadian towns (−13.5°C) alike. The frost-free season runs from 4 June to 17 September, 104 days. October is the wettest month, with 130 mm of rain and snow on average. A normal January brings 80 cm of snow, the most of any month.

Average high by season · ECCC normals, 1991–2020

Winter−4.1°C

Spring6.9°C

Summer22.1°C

Autumn11.3°C

Normals, 1991–2020	Gaspé	Quebec	Canada
Snowfall a year	385 cm	217 cm	141 cm
July afternoon high	23.5°C	26.5°C	25.5°C
Days with frost a year	200	161	159
Precipitation a year	1,161 mm	1,041 mm	883 mm

385 cm

of snow a year

200

days with frost a year

104

frost-free days, 4 Jun to 17 Sep

123

days with precipitation a year

Full pageGaspé’s climate pageOpen the full Climate page

The yearJuly highs 23.5°C, January lows −16.7°C Rain and snow1,161 mm a year · Canadian towns: 883 mm Snow385 cm of snow a year Weather station5.8 km to the station · Gaspé

Environment and Climate Change Canada, Canadian Climate Normals 1991–2020 (Gaspé)

Natural hazardsHazard risk C

High radon around Gaspé: 25% of homes tested in the area exceed 200 Bq/m³

Lowwildfire bandCHazard risk Grade

Measured across the Gaspesie - Iles-de-la-Madeleine health region: radon tests

Shaking is about as much of a worry in Gaspé as in most places, at $0.016 a year per $1,000 of building value ($0.030 typical). The national inventory holds 6 flood maps for it, the newest from Gouvernement du Québec.

Radon tests above the guideline · share of tested homes, 200 Bq/m³

Gaspé25%

Quebec’s towns8.2%

Canadian towns6.6%

Hazards	Gaspé	Quebec	Canada
Radon tests above the guideline	25%	8.2%	6.6%
Earthquake loss per $1,000 of buildings a year	$0.016	$0.14	$0.030

$0.016

expected earthquake loss a year per $1,000 of buildings

Low

wildfire band

1.7 km

to the nearest land burned since 1986

flood studies on the national inventory

Full pageGaspé’s flood & hazards pageOpen the full Flood & hazards page

Radon25% of tests above the guideline WildfireLow wildfire band · No land burned within 25 km since 1986 Flood6 flood studies on record Earthquakes$0.016 a year per $1,000 · Canadian towns: $0.030 Be readyAlerts, FireSmart and radon tests

NRCan seismic risk model and burned areas, Health Canada radon survey, the Flood Hazard Map Inventory

Outdoors

Gaspé borders Forillon National Park

13%of the land within 10 km protected

41 areas within 10 km are protected for nature. The largest named area nearby is Banc-des-Américains Marine Protected Area, 100,013 ha, 1.4 km away. Protected areas cover 13% of the land within 10 km, above both Quebec’s towns (4.9%) and Canadian towns (2.3%). The closest provincial park is Île-Bonaventure-et-du-Rocher-Percé National Park (Québec), 19 km from the edge of town.

Protected land · of the land within 10 km

Gaspé13%

Quebec’s towns4.9%

Canadian towns2.3%

Outdoors	Gaspé	Quebec	Canada
Protected land within 10 km	13%	4.9%	2.3%
Public protected areas within 10 km	23	10	4

At the edge

to Forillon National Park

19 km

to Île-Bonaventure-et-du-Rocher-Percé National Park (Québec)

beaches within 5 km

public protected areas within 10 km

Full pageGaspé’s outdoors pageOpen the full Outdoors page

Protected landof the land within 10 km Protected areas41 protected areas within 10 km · Banc-des-Américains Marine Protected Area National & provincial parksAt the edge to a national park · Forillon National Park Footpaths & routes13 named routes · SIA, 2-Côte de Gaspé

Canadian Protected and Conserved Areas Database (CPCAD), OpenStreetMap routes and beaches

HealthHealth C⁺

18% of adults smoke in the health region around Gaspé, against 12% for the typical Canadian town

56%very good or excellent healthC⁺Health Grade

Life expectancy at birth in the region is 79.9 years, lower than both Quebec’s towns (82.5) and Canadian towns (81.5). About as many adults call their health very good or excellent here as across Quebec, 56% against 57%. What sets Gaspé apart within its region is a longer trip to hospital, 9.9 km for the average resident (3.7 km typical).

Very good or excellent health · adults, age-standardised

Gaspé56%

Quebec’s towns56%

Canadian towns52%

Health	Gaspé	Quebec	Canada
Smokers	18%	12%	12%
Life expectancy at birth	79.9	82.5	81.5
Chronic conditions (average share)	18%	15%	17%
Very good or excellent health	56%	56%	52%

79.9

years of life expectancy, 2022/2024

9.9 km

from homes to a hospital, on average

18%

of adults smoke, age-standardised

5.8 km

from homes to a pharmacy, on average

Full pageGaspé’s health pageOpen the full Health page

Health survey56% very good or excellent health · adults, age-standardised Getting care9.9 km to a hospital · A pharmacy 5.8 km away on average The wider areaLife expectancy: women 81.6, men 78.2 Conditions and habits18% with chronic conditions · adults, age-standardised

Statistics Canada, Canadian Community Health Survey 2023/2024 and life expectancy 2022/2024; Open Database of Healthcare Facilities · Area behind the health survey and life expectancy figures: the Région de la Gaspésie—Îles-de-la-Madeleine

Who lives here

More of Gaspé’s residents have an Indigenous identity than in Quebec’s towns or Canadian towns: 9.9%

50.4median age

35% speak both English and French, below Quebec’s towns (44%) but above Canadian towns (7.5%). Visible minorities make up 1.9% of the population, lower than both Quebec’s towns (3.5%) and Canadian towns (15%).

GaspéQuebecCanada

QuebecCanada

Ages · Share of residents in each age group, Census 2021

26%

Schooling · Highest qualification, residents 15 and over

No certificate, diploma or degree23%

Postsecondary qualification56%

Women and men · all residents

Women make up 50.5% of Gaspé

Here the census found 7,605 women and 7,460 men; across Canada the share of women is 50.9%.

Who lives in Gaspé
	Gaspé	Quebec	Canada
Under 15	14%	17%	16%
15 to 64	60%	62%	64%
65+	26%	20%	19%
No certificate, diploma or degree	23%	19%	16%
Postsecondary qualification	56%	59%	56%

Full pageGaspé’s Who lives here pageOpen the full Who lives here page

Immigrants2% belong to a visible minority Ages50.4 median age · 26% are 65 or over Households6,780 households · 2.2 people per household English and French35% speak both · 61% speak French but not English

Statistics Canada, Census 2021; Quebec and Canada: medians of towns of 2,500+

SafetySafety B

Gaspé earns a B for safety

58Crime Severity Index

Its police area recorded 15.8 violent incidents per 1,000 residents a year, higher than both Quebec’s towns (12.4) and Canadian towns (12). For every 1,000 residents of its police area, 11.1 property crimes are reported each year.

Year by year · Crime Severity Index for each year

202373

202449

202551

2023–2025	Gaspé	Quebec	Canada
Property crime per 1,000	11.1	16.6	31.2
Violent crime	15.8	12.4	12
Violent Crime Severity Index	106	88	86

non-violent Crime Severity Index

74%

of incidents cleared, 2023–25

Full pageGaspé’s safety reportOpen the full Safety report

Safety58 Crime Severity Index · The index weighs each crime Gaspé’s police recorded by how serious it is.Questions“Is Gaspé safe?”

Statistics Canada, Uniform Crime Reporting Survey, 2023–2025 average · Crime Severity Index, Violent Crime Severity Index, violent crime and property crime per 1,000: one figure for all of Côte-de-Gaspé MRC

Weather

Expect November days around 4°C in Gaspé, nights around −4°C

4°Ca normal November afternoon

Next comes December, with normal highs of −2°C and lows of −11°C. November usually brings some 32 cm of snow. Expect about 105 mm of rain and snow over November. The forecast on the Weather page is ECCC’s for Gaspé.

Normal highs, the months ahead · ECCC normals, 1991–2020

November4°C

December−2°C

January−6°C

February−5°C

Season	High	Low	Rain and snow
Winter	−4°C	−15°C	281 mm
Spring	7°C	−4°C	284 mm
Summer	22°C	9°C	270 mm
Autumn	11°C	1°C	326 mm

−4°C

a normal November night

105 mm

of rain and snow in a normal November

Full pageGaspé’s weather pageOpen the full Weather page

Next 24 hoursTemperature and chance of rain, hour by hour The week aheadECCC’s days ahead, beside the normals The yearWarmest July, coldest January

ECCC normals, 1991–2020 (Gaspé); the forecast is on the Weather page

Town hall

2,210 residents per council seat in Gaspé, a higher ratio than 89% of Quebec municipalities

Gaspé has 6 councillors and a mayor, Daniel Côté.

Full pageGaspé’s town hall & politics pageOpen the full Town hall & politics page

Member of ParliamentAlexis Deschênes council seats7

Wikidata, MAMH, MMAH, Statistics Canada

Library & civic lifeCivic life grade B⁻

Gaspé has 8 public library branches

Among them: Bibliothèque Alma-Bourget-Costicella (Gaspe), Bibliothèque de Cap-aux-Os, Bibliothèque De Douglastown (Gaspe) and 5 more.

Full pageGaspé’s library & civic life pageOpen the full Library & civic life page

Places to belong3 charities per 1,000 residents

Provincial library statistics, OpenStreetMap, the CRA and Statistics Canada

Work & commuteJobs & income B⁻

Commuters in Gaspé have a short way to work, 18 min on average, less than in both Quebec’s towns and Canadian towns

4%walk, cycle or take transit

94% of commuters drove, higher than both Quebec’s towns (90%) and Canadian towns (89%).

How working residents got to work · census 2021

Car or van94%

Walk4%

Public transit1%

Bicycle0%

Census 2021	Gaspé	Quebec	Canada
Average trip	18 min	27 min	26 min
Car or van	94%	90%	89%

$72,000

median household income, 2020

15%

worked from home, May 2021

95%

of commuters work inside the municipality

Full pageGaspé’s work & commute pageOpen the full Work & commute page

Unemployment9.2% unemployed · Of the labour force · Canadian towns: 9.9%Getting to work4% walk, cycle or take transit Where people commute to30 commuters · The biggest flow out: to Grande-Vallée

Statistics Canada, Census 2021 (labour and commuting) · Census day was in May 2021, mid-pandemic, so commuting and work figures carry the lockdowns’ mark.

Schools

Gaspé has 11 English-language schools among its 20

20schools within 3 km

Counting a 3 km margin, Gaspé has 12 elementary schools, 5 secondary schools and 3 schools for every grade. Schooling here is split between 2 boards, close to Quebec’s towns (2) and below Canadian towns (3).

School	Level	Students	System
École aux Quatre-VentsIn GaspéElementary	Elementary	–	French public
École Antoine-RoyIn GaspéSecondary	Secondary	–	French public
École de Belle Anse EnglishTeaches in EnglishElementary	Elementary	–	English public

See all 20 schools →

Schools by system · Schools within 3 km

English public11

French public9

Schools within 3 km	Gaspé	Quebec	Canada
School boards	2	2	3

1.1 km

to the nearest secondary school

Full pageGaspé’s schools pageOpen the full Schools page

Language11 of 20 teach in English · 10% of schools in Quebec Every school20 schools within 3 km · 12 elementary schools, 5 secondary schools and 3 schools for every grade The boards2 school boards · Commission scolaire Eastern Shores Questions“What schools are there in Gaspé?”

Provincial school lists and results, 2025-26 · Towns in Quebec aren’t in the schools rankings: the ministry publishes its success rates by school service centre, not school by school.

History

The registers list 20 historic places in Gaspé, 4 at the top

20historic places

Before 1961 is when 29% of the homes went up, above both Quebec’s towns (21%) and Canadian towns (18%). The earliest construction date, 1850, belongs to Le Boutillier Manor. Among the places are 12 Recognized Federal Heritage Buildings and 4 municipal citations.

Historic places by designation · inside the town

Highest designations4

Other federal designations12

Provincial and local listings4

Among them

1850

oldest construction date on the record

29%

of homes built before 1961 · Canadian towns 18%

Heritage	Gaspé	Quebec	Canada
Homes built before 1961	29%	21%	18%

Full pageGaspé’s history pageOpen the full History page

On the registers20 historic places inside the town Highest designations4 top designations · Le Boutillier Manor Older homes29% built before 1961 · Canadian towns: 18%Questions“How many historic places does Gaspé have?”

Canadian Register of Historic Places, Directory of Federal Heritage Designations, Québec’s Répertoire du patrimoine culturel, Wikidata; Census 2021 homes by period

Keep exploring

Everything we know about Gaspé

15pages on Gaspé

The big questions

SafetyBCrime Severity Index 58 Housing & costA⁻Homes 2.8 × income Property pricesSchools20 schools within 3 km HealthC⁺Life expectancy 79.9 in its region Work & commuteB⁻53% of adults in work Natural hazardsCWildfire band: low

Out and about

Outdoors13% of the land within 10 km protected AttractionsClimateJuly afternoons around 24°C WeatherECCC’s forecast, beside the normals

The story

Who lives hereMedian age 50.4 History20 places on the heritage registers Town hallFamous people

Nearby attractions

Forillon National Park and 7 more in and around Gaspé

From museums to parks and historic sites: Gaspé’s places to visit and those just beyond its edge, most famous first.

All attractions →

National park · Parks CanadaForillon National Parkin town

CathedralChrist the King Cathedral, Gaspéin town

MuseumCap-des-Rosiers Lighthousein town MuseumMuseumMusée de la Gaspésiein town MuseumMuseumLe Boutillier Manorin town MuseumMuseumSite d’interprétation de la culture Micmac de Gespegin town

Photos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).

Photo credits (3)

Forillon National Park: Dlanglois, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
Christ the King Cathedral, Gaspé: abdallahh, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
Cap-des-Rosiers Lighthouse: Maria Azzurra Mugnai, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons

Famous people from Gaspé

24 notable people were born in Gaspé.

See all 24 →

Cedric PaquetteCanadian ice hockey player · born 1993

Laurence JalbertCanadian musician · born 1959

Pascal TrépanierCanadian ice hockey player · born 1973

Sydney Valpy Radley-WaltersCanadian general · 1920–2015

Christian LarrivéeCanadian ice hockey player · born 1982

Horace GaulCanadian ice hockey player · 1883–1939

Photo credits

Cedric Paquette: Lisa Gansky from New York, NY, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Laurence Jalbert: Jeangagnon, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Pascal Trépanier: BKLuis, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Sydney Valpy Radley-Walters: https://search.canbarchives.ca/photograph-album-1961-radley-walters, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Christian Larrivée: Jonas Mikkelsen, CC BY 2.5 · Horace Gaul: Unknown author, Public domain

About Gaspé

Town in Quebec

For Gaspé, TownRatings uses Statistics Canada’s census-subdivision boundary in Quebec, and every figure on its pages covers that whole area.

Statistics Canada: population estimates 2025 (17-10-0155), Census of Population 2021, 2021 census boundaries.

Population: 15,479 (people, 2025 estimate)
Province or territory: Quebec
Census division: La Côte-de-Gaspé
Census subdivision: 2403005

Questions about Gaspé

Do people in Gaspé speak French?

Yes: this is Quebec. 60.9% of residents speak only French and 35% speak both French and English (Canadian towns’ median: 8%).

How old are the people of Gaspé?

At 50.4, its median age compares with 45.2 across Canadian towns. Children make up 14% of the population and seniors 26%.

What kind of homes are in Gaspé?

74% of homes are single-detached houses, against 64% for the median of Canadian towns, and 0% are in apartment buildings of five storeys or more. A household averages 2.2 people; 33% are one person living alone.

Is Gaspé growing?

It added people: 14,568 in 2016, 15,063 in 2021, 3.4% more, where the middle of Canadian towns grew 4.1%. Statistics Canada’s 2025 estimate is 15,479.

Sources: Statistics Canada, Census of Population 2021 · population estimates 2025 (17-10-0155) and 2021 census boundaries · Uniform Crime Reporting Survey 2023–25 (35-10-0026, 35-10-0183 to 35-10-0190) · CMHC rents as published by Statistics Canada (34-10-0133) · grades by TownRatings. Under the Statistics Canada Open Licence.

Adapted from Statistics Canada (Census of Population 2021, population estimates 2025, 2021 census boundaries) under the Statistics Canada Open Licence; this does not constitute an endorsement by Statistics Canada. Neighbourhood names in some cities © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL).